1、专业英语八级模拟试卷 153及答案与解析 SECTION A MINI-LECTURE Directions: In this section you sill hear a mini-lecture. You will hear the lecture ONCE ONLY. While listening, take notes on the important points. Your notes will not be marked, but you will need them to complete a gap-filling task after the mini-lecture.
2、 When the lecture is over, you will be given two minutes to check your notes, and another ten minutes to complete the gap-filling task on ANSWER SHEET ONE. Use the blank sheet for note-taking. 0 Ben Buchanan and A Magic Book The Texas teen is devouring the 672 pages of Harry Potter and the Half-Bloo
3、d Prince written by J. K. Rowling. When Buchanan got the first Harry Potter book in 1998, he was struggling with difficulty in reading. But when his mom read the first chapter aloud to him, he was determined to conquer his first “real“ book. . The success of Rowling s books: 1) over【 1】 _ of Rowling
4、 s books printed in U.S 【 1】 _ 2) kids reading and【 2】 _ each title fervently. 【 2】 _ However, whether all of this hype of countdowns and midnight trips to book stores translates into a lifelong reading habit remains unclear. . Our society now needed a reading renaissance: 1) A study shows: adult【 3
5、】 _ have dropped 10 percentage points. 【 3】_ A. the loss of readers possiblly【 4】 _to the booming world of technology; 【 4】 _ B.【 5】 _offer experience that can t be gained from these other sources.【 5】_ 2) Thr facts reflect: fewer kids are reading for【 6】 _ 【 6】 _ A. This【 7】 _retreat from books not
6、 taken a toll on reading ability.【 7】_ B. this indicates a poor future in reading ability development-the very reason why many educators are hoping the Harry Potter series can work some【 8】 _. 【 8】 _ . The Harry Potter series has “broken the rules“: 1) the book was as exciting as a video game; 2) 59
7、 percent of U.K. kids think the books have【 9】 _their reading skills;【 9】 _ 3)【 10】 _say the books are the reason they read more. 【 10】_ Part of the allure of The Harry Potter is the thrilling story, with well-developed characters and an avalanche of magical moments. 1 【 1】 2 【 2】 3 【 3】 4 【 4】 5 【
8、5】 6 【 6】 7 【 7】 8 【 8】 9 【 9】 10 【 10】 SECTION B INTERVIEW Directions: In this section you will hear everything ONCE ONLY. Listen carefully and then answer the questions that follow. Questions 1 to 5 are based on an interview. At the end of the interview you will be given 10 seconds to answer each
9、of the following five questions. Now listen to the interview. 11 From which place did they start their sightseeing? （ A） Houses of Parliament and Big Ben. （ B） The south bank of the Thames. （ C） Lambeth Bridge. （ D） Westminster Abbey. 12 Where does the Horatio Nelson the naval captain who defeated N
10、apoleon at the battle of Trafalgar in 1805, and so stopped him from invading England stand? （ A） St. James s Park. （ B） Whitehall. （ C） Downing Street. （ D） Trafalgar Square. 13 According to the conversation when are all the big shops closed? （ A） On weekend. （ B） On Sunday. （ C） On workday. （ D） On
11、 Saturday. 14 From the conversation we can know where is the Chinese Embassy? （ A） At Marble Arch. （ B） Near Hyde Park. （ C） In Portland place. （ D） At Mayfair. 15 From the conversation what can we deduce? （ A） Robinson is an English. （ B） Li is very familiar with London. （ C） It is the Lis first lo
12、ok at London. （ D） It is the Robinsons first look at London. SECTION C NEWS BROADCAST Directions: In this section you will hear everything ONCE ONLY. Listen carefully and then answer the questions that follow. At the end of each news item, you will be given 10 seconds to answer the questions. 16 Est
13、rada, who is accused of EXCEPT_. （ A） bribery, graft and corruption （ B） betrayal of public trust （ C） disobedient to the country （ D） violations Of the constitution 17 Who is the prosecutions star witness in the impeachment trial of Estrada? （ A） Luis Singson. （ B） Loi Ejercito. （ C） Hilario Davide
14、. （ D） Accounts records. 18 According to the news, the followings are the newly approved Web site EXCEPT _. （ A） .com .net, .org and .gov （ B） .biz, .info （ C） .name, .pro （ D） .museum, .aero. and .coop 19 There are more than an estimated _ million top-level domain names, nearly ail of them ending i
15、n .com or .net. （ A） 20 （ B） 25 （ C） 30 （ D） 35 20 Why among the domain names not approved by the board Thursday was .kids? （ A） As it said it could lead to Web sites with content harmful. （ B） As it said it could be beneficial for children. （ C） As it said it could not get the profit. （ D） As it sa
16、id it could lead to boom registries. 20 The wave of job cuts sweeping through the utility sector gathered pace yesterday with 800 more redundancies planned by two electricity groups joining forces in order to meet regulators price demands and improve efficiency. Trade unions expressed anger that the
17、 announcement by two foreign-owned utilities, London Electricity and Eastern Electricity, came during the period immediately before Christmas. They noted that it arrived on the back of nearly 1,300 other job losses in this sector since early October. Half of the 160,000 jobs in the electricity secto
18、r have gone since privatization in 1988. More than 2,000 redundancies have also been announced recently by water companies, and more are expected from United Utilities as they, too, seek to meet tougher regulatory targets. Not everyone in the industry is convinced that the current spate of job cuts
19、in the utility sector is justified. One leading industry executive, who wanted to remain anonymous, said: “I am very concerned that companies are using the regulators price cut as an excuse for carrying out general cuts that they have wanted to do for some time. It is causing disquiet among utilitie
20、s customers.“ If regulatory approval is given London Electricity -a unit of Electricite de France -and Eastern Electricity, controlled by American conglomerate Texas Utilities, will form a joint venture from April 1, 2000, which will run their respective electricity distribution businesses. The comp
21、anies will continue to compete on the supply and billing side of their operations but hope the new alliance will be able to win third party business, whether in electricity or other sectors such as gas. The 800 job losses mean a quarter of the jobs affected by the joint venture will be lost within 1
22、8 months, and that the remaining positions will be dependant on the general level of business activity. The two companies plan to achieve cost savings through fewer workers, having a single information system, a smaller number of buildings and buying more in bulk. Phil Turbeville, chief executive of
23、 Texas Utilities TXS Europe subsidiary, said: “It is the responsible management response to the challenges of the tough price control while delivering further improvements in customer service.“ He added that customers would benefit because lower costs meant more money available for new investment, a
24、nd denied that the decision could have been made at a better time or would have been different if it had not been a foreign-owned group. “Whether we told staff just before Christmas or just after it would have been the same. There is no good time to make redundancies. As you can see from what Scotti
25、sh-based utilities have been doing, this is nothing to do with Paris or Texas. It is just prudent management,“ Mr. Turbeville said. 21 The phrase “gathered pace“ in the first paragraph most probably refers to _. （ A） speeded up （ B） slowed down （ C） continued （ D） ended 22 From early October, about
26、_ people have lost their jobs in utility sector. （ A） 800 （ B） 160,000 （ C） 1,300 （ D） 2,100 23 When the author says that the remaining positions will be dependent on the general level of business activity, he implies that_. （ A） the remaining employers should undertake business activities （ B） the
27、remaining employers will work hard for the company （ C） the remaining employers may lose their jobs in the future （ D） the remaining employers may get high wages 24 Phil Turbeville held that_. （ A） the announcement time is appropriate （ B） the situation can be different without a foreign-owned group
28、 （ C） the situation can be different without regulator price demand （ D） the management of the company should be further improved 24 Security concerns have prompted the federal departments of State and Homeland Security to tighten the process for issuing visas and to impose rigorous new monitoring p
29、rocedures for many international students once they enter the United States. Colleges have struggled to comply with new reporting requirements and deal with admitted students whose entry into the country has been delayed by the new procedures. One result of these problems has been a renewed discussi
30、on of the presence of substantial numbers of international students on U.S. campuses. Anecdotal reports suggest that the number of new internati6nal students entering the United States is declining. The downward trend is consistent with data on the number of student visas being issued by the State D
31、epartment. Applications by Arab and Muslim men and those of any student seeking to study science had to be sent to Washington for review, and men from 25 countries identified as potential harbors for terrorism face new registration requirements once they enter the United States. These procedures led
32、 to long lines at U.S. consulates around the world and to many well-publicized situations in which students were unable to reach their intended campus in time for the opening of classes last autumn. One continuing problem, university officials say, is that U.S. consulates no longer routinely renew v
33、isas for international students whose visas expire while they are home for vacations or other short visits. The issue of whether some students will continue to view the United States as a desirable place to study has also become a source of discussion. John Shull, college adviser at the Cairo Americ
34、an College, said, “We are seeing more of our students looking at non-U.S, universities.“ Lynch of Penn State said that his university is now getting “very few new students from the Middle East-especially males“. Stricter U.S. restrictions on foreign students studying in America and delays in process
35、ing visa requests appear to be doing part of the job for the British. Applications to British universities from foreign students have surged in the last year, particularly from countries with predominantly Muslim populations. Among countries sending significant numbers of students to Britain, the bi
36、ggest increases in applications were from Saudi Arabia. Education officials did not provide reasons for this striking pattern. But some individual universities said there were indications that new U.S. regulations and stricter enforcement were playing at least some role. In Britain, students can als
37、o get an education in English, at internationally known universities, but perhaps with a bit less hassle. Officials said that, while Britain did not impose new regulations on students seeking visas to study here, enforcement of existing rules and scrutiny of applications may have been stepped up. Ad
38、missions authorities say they have had more contact with the police, and they are being more diligent about requiring students to leave the country once their visas expire. Still, either out of choice or necessity, some students apparently are finding Britain to be a more attractive option than the
39、United States. 25 Why U.S. imposes so much on international students? （ A） Because the new reporting requirements demand so. （ B） There is a large number of international students on U.S. campuses. （ C） Because of its concern of civil security. （ D） There are too many students applying to study in U
40、.S 26 Which of the following statements is not true? （ A） There is a downward trend in the numbers of international students on U.S. campuses. （ B） The number of student visas being issued by the State Department is declining. （ C） Any student who is pursuing a degree of Arts in America dont have to
41、 be sent to Washingtonfor review. （ D） There are still many people in the world who are applying to study in U.S 27 Why the number of foreign students applying for entering British universities surged last year? （ A） Because U.S. imposes too much restrictions on foreign students. （ B） Because U.S. d
42、elays in processing visa requests. （ C） Because Britain does not impose new regulations on international students. （ D） All of the above. 28 The content of this passage can best be described as_. （ A） narrative （ B） descriptive （ C） expositive （ D） argumentative 29 The passage can best be titled as_
43、. （ A） The Charm of Great Britain （ B） The Best Place for Foreign Students （ C） Foreign Students Turning Away From U.S. to Britain （ D） The Flow of International Students 29 “The Icarus Girl“ is the story of 8-year-old Jessamy Harrison, nicknamed Jess. The daughter of a Nigerian mother and an Englis
44、h father, she is a troubled child given to tantrums and uncontrollable screaming fits. She has no friends, hates school and is far happier sitting inside a cupboard or writing haiku alone in her bedroom. Quite naturally worried by all this, her mother decides that a change of scenery is in order, so
45、 she takes the family away from its home in England and back to Nigeria for a brief visit. Initially, Jess feels out of place there as well - until she meets Titiola, a mysterious girl of exactly her own age, whom she calls TillyTilly. From the start, theres something not quite right about TiUyTilly
46、: she seems out of proportion. “Was she too tall and yet too . small at the same time? Was her neck too long? Her fingers?“ At first, she merely echoes Jesss words, but she soon develops into the friend and playmate Jess has never had. Together they have adventures: they manage to break into Jesss g
47、randfathers locked study and then into an amusement park (also locked) where the gates magically swing open. All too quickly, though, the family returns from exotic Nigeria to prosaic England, where Jess is surrounded once again by bullying schoolmates, a hostile teacher and her hateful, doll-like b
48、lond cousin, Dulcie. Then, to Jesss joy, TillyTilly reappears, simply knocking on her door. They play together, go on a picnic, write a poem. But TillyTilly also formulates a plan to “get“ Jesss tormentors. The reader suspects that TillyTilly is one of those imaginary friends so common to lonely chi
49、ldhoods, and that the strange and sinister events are happening only in Jesss imagination. But just as Jess herself begins to doubt whether TillyTilly is “really really“ there, her playmates malevolent magic begins to spread, infecting every comer of Jesss world. TillyTillys power, at least, is far from imaginary. She reveals that Jess
